Chuck Most

FINALLY! A good use for a flip-nose Effie kit! This one's gonna be cool.

Moving Citation! Ha! I get it! No, wait... NOW I get it. Nicely done- those look like Bandit Resins amps in the trunk. My mom had an '84 Citation 4-door when I was a kid. I can't fathom why Monogram did a kit of it, but it's good they did, or we'd have never gotten to see this one.

Or, it was those frakin' cylons, man!

I remember when Saab brought out the 9-7x (read, sexier Trailblazer SS), and all the Detroit Free Press and Lansing State Urinal...uh, JOURNAL boys were fawning over how GM had so thoughtfully moved the ignition switch to the console... as if that alone were enough to make Granny's Trailblazer into a Saab! The car magazines, on the other hand, took the 9-7 for what it was... a nicely done urban SUV, but came to this conclusion: "Senator, you're no Saab." The newspaper reviews were more entertaining than educating! I don't really like the look of the new Camaro, but then again, I'm one of the two or three people on the planet who doesn't like the look of the first gen Camaros. Bluntly, I LOVE seeing '67-69 Camaros destroyed in movies. But on the other hand, I hated the new Challengers, too, but I find that they're starting to grow on me. You know, sort of like melanoma. Maybe the new Camaro will grow on me as well. At any rate, I'd rather be forced to look at new Camaros all day than another dull, lifeless Malibu, Avenger, Taurus, Accord, ect.

I've got a few of these kits stashed away, as well as a couple Monogram '41's. I really like the "Monsoon Maroon"!

iTunes? 8-tracks? Puh-leeze! LPs are where it's at! Some of the vinyl spinning while I'm at the bench: AC-DC: Back in Black and For Those About to Rock We Salute You Black Sabbath: Heaven and Hell Dokken: Under Lock & Key Megadeth: Killing is my Business... and business is good! and Peace Sells, But who's Buying. Anthrax: Spreading The Disease Kansas: Audio Visions Alice Cooper: Alice Cooper Goes To Hell Aerosmith: Toys in the Attic Queens of the Stone Age: Songs For the Deaf (yes- it was released on a special 2-disc LP set in 2003) Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison Pink Floyd: Animals Cassettes? I've got a few cassettes- REM- Document Sepultura- Beneath the Remains/Arise Six Feet Under- Warpath Chrysler Audio System 1989 Marilyn Manson- Smells Like Children And I have yet to abandon the LP's spiritual successor, the CD, and 95% of my tunes are still "stored" in that manner, including: Neil Young, Metallica, Death Angel, Pink Floyd, Pantera, Apocalyptica (from the cello Metallica covers era), Marilyn Manson, Blues Traveler, Depeche Mode, W.A.S.P., Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Nirvana, Candlebox, Slipknot, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Mudvayne, Guns n' Roses (still too afraid to check out Chinese Democracy), and others too numerous to mention. NOT RECCOMMENDED LISTENING WHEN MODELING (OR HANDLING ANY SHARP OBJECTS): Megadeth- Good Mourning/Black Friday George Thorogood- Killer's Bluez Anything by Slayer Anything by Cannibal Corpse (the Chris Barnes era stuff in particular!) Classical Music (ever subconciously started swinging that exacto like a conductor's baton? I have. That's why they call me "Left Eye") Anything by Eminem I personally avoid "Beach Boys" style music and '50's do-wop, because I've heard enough of this junk at 1:1 car shows to tide me over for three or four lifetimes.

That '37? (looks more like a '38 in the photo) Ford pickup will most definitely be meeting my workbench. The '72 Cutlass would as well, if it weren't a convertible. Yeah, I know, I'm one of the 30 or 40 people on Earth who'd rather opt against a drop top. Maybe I'll get my hardtop '72 Cutty somtime down the road. The rest of what I could see I was either lukewarm or totally apathetic about, but that doesn't mean one or two of THOSE won't end up in my grubby little mitts! Still no damned '87 Cutlass, as far as I saw! I know it's little more than a glorified curbside, but my attempt to make one from an MPC Class Action Monte Carlo ended in complete and all-encompassing failure!!!!

Ah-HA!!!! Saving money by using bland, lifeless designs... THAT'S why Ford is the only one of the big three still afloat! (Hey, after years of listening to all these Chevy lovers, It's my turn to be smug!) Then again, the new Pontiacs are kinda jelly-beanish... uh-oh.

Daily beaters: 1998 Mercury Tracer (aka T-Racer) with 300,000 miles on the clock, most of it's Atlantic blue paint gone, and about to break in half from rust damage. 1994 Ford F-250 Regular Cab XLT pickup- temporarily in limbo cuz I don't want to fill two tanks three times a month. Projects: 1967 Plymouth Fury I - Ran and drove when I bought it in 2002... not running or driving now. 1978 International Scout II- Basically a rotten tub on a good chassis, with the impossible-to-find-parts-for Nissan Diesel. Hasn't run or driven since Regan was in office... probably won't ever run again with my name on the title, judging from past experiences. Ones that got away: 1966 Olds Cutlass, 1981 Lincoln Town Car, 1985 Ranger, 1996 Cutlass, 1996 Plymouth Neon, 1967 Chevrolet Impala, Suzuki Nomad 340 Snowmobile.

I've noticed the stuff called "Bright Chrome" seems to be sturdier than the regular "Chrome" BMF. I've gotten the "dry lake bed" looking sheets before, and they usually get relegated to small script, reflector, and masking duty. One very minor hangup about the Bright stuff- It tends to want to curl into a circle like Elvis' lip when you peel it off the backing- that does take some getting used to at first. A few tricks for preserving a GOOD sheet of BMF; Keep it in a cool and dry place, NOT the bookshelf by the sunny window just above the humidifier, in it's original envelope, in a sealable Zip-Lock type bag- this seems to help extend it's shelf life. And I try to keep mine hung up on a cork board with a push pin (ABOVE the foil sheet and not THROUGH it, naturally) , to minimize the chance of it getting kinked. I'm with a lot of you guys- at eight bucks a sheet, I wanna get my money's worth out of it!!!!

With that V-10 Engine, slick paint, and all that custom bodywork... Gawd, I don't wanna know. I like the taillamp setup, Alyn. Simple, but oh-so-effective!

Thanks for the info- Cranky... ###### Cranky, ladies and gentlemen, ANOTHER master of weathered patina disaster! I've used your weathering techniques, as well- they're simple, effective, and idiot-proof! I pretty much copied your recent Nova article verbatim on an AMT-Hobby Heaven '70 Galaxie- turned out awesome!

And there's nothing wrong with mimickry- that's why we have so many cool '32 Ford Roadsters and A-V8's. If you see some guy with a cool ride- you're gonna want one just like it! But even when you are mimicking somebody else's work, you're going to put your own spin on it. Your own little tricks and details that set it apart from the others. Those little details that make the difference. Ed, have you ever noticed how most of the people who say "all hot rods (or customs/muscle cars/what have you) look the same" are the ones who don't even notice the little stuff- they just give the car a cursory once-over and immediately write it off as "just another"? If I ever get THAT jaded, I will gladly sell of all my built and unbuilt models, burn my automobilia collection, torch my 1:1 '67 Fury in half and shove it in a river (then again... I've thought of doing that quite a few times already), turn in my "car guy licence", and take up another hobby- like basketweaving, stamp collecting, or standing on an overpass hucking dead animals at cars driving underneath! On a (somewhat) unrelated note... you'd better post some pics of that '78 Effie when you're finished! Even my Chevy buddies like the '73-'79 Fords, and yours sounds like it's going to be pretty cool!

HA! Yeah- I was ORIGINALLY going to say something along THOSE lines but then I thought kids might be reading, so I opted not to!

Don't let that bug ya, Fujimi-Man! THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO HAVE FUN!!!! I think the Retro Ram has taught us that! I'm itching to see what type of head & tail lamp setups you pull out of your hat!

One of the few late Carter/early Regan era Pontiacs that actually looked good. Yours is the first one I've seen that was not painted pea green and/or rusted out from the door handles down! I've seen the MPC kit of this body style GA, but I am a bit reluctant to pay the "collector price" on the tag! Now, let's abruptly switch back to the topic at hand: Many of you have wondered why GMC truck hasn't gotten the axe (yet). GMC exists only so that non-Chevrolet franchised dealers can have a truck line to sell. They tried making GMC "upscale", since the Pontiac, Olds, Buick, and Caddy car lines it was sold with were once considered a step up from Chevy. It didn't seem to work. But there will probably be a GMC as long as there's a Buick- In fact, I think GM rolled Pontiac, Buick, and GMC into one division a few years back. Yep, the new car menu is getting thinner. I've hung up my dream of ever seeing Ford bring back the Edsel and Merkur lines. A world without the possibility of an all-new Yugo 2.0 deeply saddens me. Sigh.

True dat! Sure, individuality still exists, but back when you couldn't dial a 1-800 number and rattle off the number to your Platinum card and were forced to use mostly the materials at hand, I think the rods and customs built by "the old masters" had more character and uniqueness than 80 to 90% of today's stuff... not that I don't like today's stuff, either!

"That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes and aeroplanes, Lenny Bruce is not afraid..." From there, I kinda get lost.

This was definitely the '96- down body style. It may be that I'm thinking about the Monogram version, but I remember it being done in gray plastic. Then again, I was 12 at the time, too. Maybe this gloo is eating my brain. I know it wasn't anything resin... my discovery of THAT medium was still nearly a decade off at that time!

Or, in my case, one to replace the engine you pirated from another '60 Starliner kit to use in a hot rod! The fact that I already have eight or nine of these kits stashed away (stock and custom versions) makes me reluctant to spring for this latest issue, but it looks like I just oughtta bite the bullet, huh?

In the current issue of Hot Rod Deluxe, they mention that in the next issue will be a story on model cars, penned by modeler, ex-HOT ROD staffer, current proprietor of the Funny Car Farm,and "Barrett-Jackson Finger Cam Guy" Steve Magnante. Since this is HRD, the models will most likely focus on early style rods and gassers... but that isn't exactly a bad thing, is it?

Alyn- Thanks for digging Little Red! It's my most crude, inaccurate, and underdetailed model of all time, and it's the one everybody digs! Go figure. Totally different animal from the Retro Ram for sure, but kindred spirits none the less. I'm currently working on a "sequel", based on a 1980-1996 Ford F-series cab. (You might well deserve at least some of the "blame" for it!) But enough about my junk- this is your post! The Retro Ram looks completely different from what I envisioned by the early posts. I knew it was going to be off the hook,but, WHOA! I think part of my brain just melted!

The '61 fullsize Plymouths are one of my all time faves. How can you not love a front end like that? (Okay- it's an easy one to hate, but I like it!)I particularly like the color you used. I've heard many good things about Tom's castings... one day I'll have one on my shelf, for sure! As far as YOUR castings, KDog, I can already say from personal experience they are top notch!

Reason #3 "other" mostly. I've built several 1:1 cars over the years, but I can't afford to build, say, 200 or so a year!!!! (Would if I could though!) So, I guess the models are a more "cost-effective" way of keeping myself from going totally flippin' nutso. Everybody needs a creative outlet- mine happens to be model cars.

Too tall? That's like too low- can there really be such a thing?